


Come and Kill My Pain

by Meleth_nin



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Robin (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics), Titans (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Tim Drake is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 11:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21409705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meleth_nin/pseuds/Meleth_nin
Summary: Dick Grayson, with his daredevil ways, his free flying, his easy shark smiles, the bright eyes, can appear approachable and easy to win over. Until someone tries and they return singed. But as Dick is prone to, even in this, he offers Jason insight into himself. That has to count for something, Jason thinks.
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Garth, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & The Titans, Dick Grayson/Garth, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd (one-sided)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 83





	Come and Kill My Pain

Jason was angry. He had wrenched his left hand into a fist a while back, and now his fingers were stiff. _Fuck me_, he thought. First, he had lost control of his mission and now this. 

They were up in Chicago, in an old abandoned warehouse that Dick said had once been a safehouse for the Teen Titans. A portion of the crumbling warehouse had a makeshift living space up in a little non-decrepit loft on one side Dick and Jason had spent a week tracking an ancient Mycenaean dagger from New York, Philadelphia, and now Chicago. 

It all started because Batman was in space on a Justice League mission; Huntress and Batgirl were patrolling Gotham with an occasional assist from Black Canary and a lot of snark from Catwoman; Tim was in Hong Kong with Cass, and Jason had his own siren call to answer. 

See, Jason was busting the heads of the Serpent-Eyes gang (excuse him while he sniggered in his head) and he had remembered Dick's accusing (and disappointed, he will be honest) eyes and had stooped to leaving them trussed up for the cops. To reward himself, he had walked into the Pancake House for Grayson's favourite food but with Red Hood's favourite toppings of tropical fruits conserve and bananas drizzled with honey, with a huge mug of rich Irish coffee. See, Jason had no preference for tea or coffee - he could have either; Jason just preferred to expend his brain cells on choosing his drinks. 

If Dick had seen him then, he would probably laugh at him for a year. Jason loved to mock Dick for being a billionaire’s Golden Boy but well, Dick appeared happiest in his little apartment wearing Superman shorts, a simple t-shirt (that was probably tight even 5 years ago) and a bowl of cereal while Jason would fuss over his food. Just once, Jason would very much like to ask Dick about the casseroles, ravioli and smoothies, that he had overheard Tim rave about to Gordon during a stakeout. 

He had been digging his pancakes and shaking his head over "what Dick doesn't know, Dick can't mock him for"; in the smoky corner when he had overheard a whispered conversation about magic daggers and kill counts. Jason, who never knew when to let things lie, had chased after the whispers. The whispers led him on a merry chase across Georgia and the Carolinas and it was when the chase headed to New York that he called Dick. He had hemmed and hawed, all his prepared speech floating away at Dick's voice down his cell. Dick had just laughed and said "come on down, kid." 

Jason grit his teeth and thanked Dick for his big brother magnanimity and was not at all sure Dick heard the sarcasm. Whatever. Thing to remember: Dick was a jerk. When Jason was Robin and whenever Dick visited Gotham, half the time he and Bruce would be locked in long arguments, sometimes sibilantly intense, sometimes loud and crass. Jason would gape at the language from both hidden in a corner of the cave, or from 2 floors above. Other times, Dick claimed Robin for himself and took Jason on night long rooftop runs. Jason would return home,whole body sore from jumping up and down all over the city, and his emotions twanging from hurt and jealousy.

Jason would like to hate the boy who was there before him; he would like to - thank you very much. But the older boy always had a twinkle in his eye when Jason made a particular hard jump or when he came up with an idea to take down 5 thugs soundlessly. Everytime, Jason called Gotham PD, his mouth beginning to sour, he would turn around to see Dick looking at him with lit up eyes and soft mouth and Jason's mouth would sour for an altogether different reason. Then he had been dead; and then he was revived; and then he came back all brainwashed and with a thirst to destroy the very people who had given him a roof and a purpose. Jason felt Dick forgave him a lot but Jason thought he may never have Dick's full trust. He did regret the time he wore the Nightwing suit and sent the authorities on a mass hunt for Nightwing. Dick had minded that for a long time. Jason wasn't sure Dick would forgive him for what he had once heard Roy call "desecration" of the Nightwing Blue. Dick took his mantle very seriously, what with his long warm history with "Uncle" Clark. Clark had always been kind to Jason when he was wearing Dick's colours as a boy but he was no "Uncle" to him. 

But now he was in New York and Jason was running with Dick again, and the memories were so intense, he had to be extra careful of his landing. Dick was precise, calculating, and strangely very knowledgeable of Mycenaean history. After a day of Jason darting him looks, Dick huffed, "I once told Donna an Ares joke and wasn't so appreciative. Man, I thought Bruce was bad, but Donna drove me to my grave with Ancient Greek."

Jason snorted. "Surely, it was a more enjoyable path than a crowbar?" 

Dick groaned. Somewhere a phone trilled. Jason heard Dick mutter, "I didn't get de-coffinated by an Al-Ghul for sure" as he walked away to get the call. 

Jason rolled his eyes, felt them almost pop out of their sockets, and cursed in 3 different languages. Jason was not going to tell the Golden Boy how he could have earned a doctorate with his "brushing up". Jason curled the side of his mouth up and pretended he hated Dick even more now. Dick, the ever observant bastard, had spent the following days "entertaining" Jason with Greek trivia in his warm husky voice. When Jason snorted or rolled his eyes, he was rewarded with that devilish cackle. And Jason had spent his days with closed fists and a closed mouth and his nights with his fist closed around himself and mouth closed to keep in his whimpers. 

During the day, they researched, staked, tracked and chased the dagger, and come dusk, they took to crime fighting. Jason tried getting away with patrolling separate districts but Dick refused, talked of spending time with his brother, and Jason cursed him, then cursed himself, because that answered if Dick had forgotten when Jason had put on the Nightwing blue and killed. They followed the dagger through to Philadelphia and then onto Chicago. Chicago brought Water Boy.

Jason knew of Dick's Titans. He grew up watching the Titans and Dick work together in a well-choreographed dance that came from knowing each other inside out. It was even more obvious outside their costumes. On a rare occasion when he was Robin and had worked a case with the Titans, Dick got Jason to stay over for a weekend at the Tower. Saturday was apparently movie night and Jason had watched blearily as Dick and Wally were sat practically in each other's lap in one corner of the couch, cracking jokes, laughing madly at nothing and everything. Donna curled up in the other corner, running her hands through Water Boy's long wet hair (after being out on team missions, Garth would retreat to the pool for hours) as he sat on the floor, while her mouth was busy catching up with Roy's who had her cradled into his side. Jason was disgusted. He had walked away after a while; and he is sure, none of them probably noticed or particularly cared. 

After coming back, he had tried asking Roy about the Titans but Roy was always very territorial about his teams. 

"Don't believe all that you hear about the Titans, kiddo"; he had growled once. 

He convinced Roy that he had heard nothing. If there was one thing the hero-villain community believed in equally, it was in their God-given right to gossip. And there was quite a bit about Dick and Roy; Lian still had scheduled holidays with her Uncle Dick. Or how Roy would first look to Dick, outside of the Arrows, whenever he needed someone to take Lian on short notice. Donna and Dick were ride-or-die and no one ever messed with that, Roy had punched Jason on the shoulder when he had said "Dick and Donna" and waggled his eyebrows after a drunken episode; Jason would never admit it, fuck, but Roy could make his punches hurt. And the whole world knew of Robin's and later, Nightwing's long relationship with Starfire and that deep affection was clearly still present. 

All this to say that when he returned to the safehouse with groceries - he was going to make Dick cook this time, if only to point out Tim's lack of culinary appreciation - it was to the sight of a tall, muscular, tattooed guy standing by the kitchen island; Dick had his arms around the guy's neck, Dick's bare legs crossed at the guy's waist, tongue down each other's throats. The stranger had a firm hold on the neck of the man in his arms, and one hand was clearly inside Dick's tiny shorts. 

Jason gaped. 

_What the fuck was going on._

Jason heard the moans and groans, saw Dick's tee riding high as Dick bucked into that hand. 

"Rob", came the breathy whisper from the stranger as he dived back into Dick's mouth again. 

Doesn't he need to breathe, Jason mused, standing at the threshold with his head cocked. A second later, the _'Rob'_, the tattoos, the long hair, all clicked for Jason. This was Aqual...no...Tempest...no _Garth_ Jason found his imagination running away from him. And that would have been a blessing. Because either Jason had finally beaten Nightwing at stealth or more likely, Nightwing hadn't gotten laid in a while. What's your excuse, Jason viciously asked Garth in his mind. 

Being an Atlantean royal, Garth refused to answer and instead, wreaked innocent vengeance on Jason as he took off Dick's tee and shrugged off Dick's shorts, lifted Dick in a fireman's carry, and started sucking his cock. 

As Dick rocked on Garth's shoulder, he bit down, Jason saw his eyes white out and close, his powerful sinuous thighs tensing, his knowing hands taking off Garth's dress shirt and only Dick could have managed the feat of taking off his lover's pants while carried on said lover's shoulders and being thoroughly debauched. 

Garth turned slightly then to walk out of his clothes, his glorious brown body glistening and Jason had time enough to marvel at that proud cock before Dick was being lowered on to his reckoning. And what a reckoning it was. Dick mewled and roared on the downward swing while he whined and complained as Garth s l o w l y raised him off his cock. Dick was sweating, his long dark curls stuck to his head and neck, and just as Jason was beginning to think he should move away, Garth lifted Dick off his cock, to the floor and while Dick was still deciding if he should stand or fall. Garth pulled up Dick's left leg on to his shoulder, Dick compensating by tilting his body to the side, and slid into Dick once more. Dick was trying to say something but all Jason could make of the garbles were _"yes"_, a long groan of Garth's name, and then a long chanted _"missed you missed you missed you"_ which stopped Garth in his tracks and he bent down for a deep soft lingering kiss. 

Jason swore to himself he saw Dick turn into jelly in front of his eyes. An impressive sight to see a tall, insanely muscular, and proven warrior, melt. Garth pulled out, brushed Dick's hair off his face and neck as he painted light kisses, and apparently, Dickie Boy wept during lovemaking because Garth was wiping under his eyes and cheeks, picked up Dick once more as he fished 3 fingers into Dick and Jason swore once more (in his mind, his tongue wasn't coming unglued anytime soon) because Garth turned, looked him in the eye, and said "off to bed, drago" and Dick bucked harder on his shoulder and whimpered louder at that. 

As the bedroom door slammed behind them, Jason _fled_.

He took the stairs 4 at a time and was out the door of the apartment, gunning his bike and making for the docks. Once there, he sat on the bench of a nearby liquor shack, a woefully bitter drink in one hand and a cigarette on the other. Jason looked dolefully at his chewed out nails, at the pink dawn light seeping through the horizon, at the 3 empty smokes packs next to him. He yelled at himself for Dick's imagined censure at the heavy smoke around him. But then Dick was busy, wasn't he? 

Jason sighed, a deep defeated sound that rankled him (he didn't like to lose, never! But Dick had the habit of never letting him win, didn't he), threw the cigarette into the sand, got up and put the empty bottle into the wastebin by the shack. (Alfred's lessons were never one to be forgotten.) He bought a bottle of water, pulled out his second pack of dried fruits from his utility belt, and walked back to the bike. Forgot where he was for a moment, took a deep breath, gagged, which reminded him of the seaman in his brother's bed, and gagged some more.

Jason was angry at himself.

He had been sitting at the tiny cafe 3 blocks down from the warehouse long enough that the fingers of his left hand that he had been wrenched into a fist were stiff. _Fuck me_, he thought fiercely. It was just a childish crush at a boyhood hero, nothing more, he told himself. While this was confirmation that yeah, Dick did swing that way and yes, it made some hope kindle in his heart, but Jason was sure it was a dead matter now. How was he to compete against the mage? An Atlantean mage? Wasn't Garth a prince too? He remembered snippets of some old conversations, about a hidden city, and a baby being thrown into the ocean rescued by Aquaman. Try as he might, Jason couldn't get rid of the image of Dick, his powerful thighs wound around the Atlantean's waist, muscular arms flung around a thick neck, looking at the brink of being consumed, and then the flick of those purple eyes as they winked at Jason, hitched Dick up and took him to bed. Just the thought of the tall acrobat turning into melted chocolate in the arms of the mighty Atlantean was turning him hard under the table. Jason was sure he would be doing some hard training to that image, in the next weeks and months.

_Fuck it_, Jason told himself. Let Dick have his otherworldly lovers; it probably had to do with that elusive something that hung over Dick; for all his charm and friendliness, his wolf-sharp smile always gave away the game. Trying to capture him would be like trying to bottle a firefly; and something about that made Jason sad.

Dick was a flyer, Dick was meant for the world. Robin came from Dick's mom and Nightwing from a Kryptonian. Tim had once rather wistfully told Jason and Cass, over 4am popcorn and soda, that when Dick took the cowl after Bane broke Bruce’s back; the Cowl seemed more mystical. Batman had then worn a razor sharp smile; and soared through the air like a preternatural creature of the night; and the bad and the ugly being a superstitious lot cowered and shivered. Tim talking about Dick’s Batman, Jason mused, must be what adoration sounds like. 

Jason was of Gotham, of filth and corruption, he was of the soil, while Dick was of the air where everyone claimed him, but Dick belonged to no one. Dick only considered a handful his safe space. The Titans were always Dick’s people. Gotham always claimed from Dick; but Jason will not claim; he will only take whatever Dick offered. And Dick wasn’t offering Jason this particular craving.

Then _fuck it_, Jason thought. He would go back and pretend he was chasing down a lead last night. He scoffed, as if he could fool a master detective and a royal ambassador. Whatever. Jason was going to behave as a professional vigilante, try and wrest the mission back from Dick, and once it was over, he would head home to Gotham. Nightwing worked everywhere; but Red Hood was forged just for Gotham and Gotham would have to deal with him.


End file.
